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Mar 23, 2026

Arab and Muslim Ministers Unite Against Iran's Retaliatory Strikes

AI Summary
Foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries convened in Riyadh to address Iran's increasing retaliation against US assets and infrastructure in the region, issuing a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks and calling for an end to its aggressive actions.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has taken a significant turn as foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries gathered in Riyadh for urgent discussions. The meeting, which included representatives from 12 countries, aimed to muster a common response to Iran's increasing retaliation against US assets and infrastructure in the region.

The talks were held as Iran targeted several energy facilities across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar in retaliation against Israel's strike on the South Pars gasfield, Iran's biggest source of energy. This escalation comes after a series of Israeli assassinations of top Iranian security officials.

The joint statement issued on Thursday confirmed that the countries present at the meeting, including Qatar, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, asserted the right of states to defend themselves, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter on defensive action.

The foreign ministers condemned deliberate Iranian attacks with ballistic missiles and drones that have struck various targets, including residential areas, water desalination plants, oil facilities, airports, and diplomatic positions. They called on Iran to:

  • Halt its attacks.
  • Stop "provocative actions or threats" aimed at its neighbours.
  • Cease supporting, financing, and arming pro-Iran proxy groups based in Arab states.
  • Refrain from actions or threats aimed at blocking the Strait of Hormuz or threatening maritime security in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The meeting yielded a unified response to Iran's increasingly unpredictable behaviour, but the joint statement was vague about how countries would follow this up. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud emphasized his country's right to defend itself and hinted that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states would act if necessary, adding that they have "very significant capacities and capabilities that they could bring to bear should they choose to do so".

The Iranian leadership's response to these developments remains unclear, with New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei having not been seen in public since his appointment. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement saying that Iranian forces had responded to the "deceiving and lying enemy" that had targeted energy facilities in the country, and that they had "entered a new phase of warfare" to defend Iran's infrastructure.